The loverly tsuki_626 reminded me that I've not posted since I was at Chez Beaumont. My previous hospital stay was in Aug of 2009 - this has been the longest time I've gone hospital free since my medical journey started in July of 2006. I often think I'm a professional patient hahaha! perhaps tsuki_626 & I should write a book on how to survive your hospital stay. Seriously though - my #1 advice to anyone in the hospital is to take advantage of the hospital staff & ask everyone how they are doing.. how is their day? Of course there are times when you may be too sick to be cordial - but I find that taking all the attention off of myself really helped.

yay! you are home. i become a bit of a worry-wart about these types of things. sorry. ha! maybe we should write a book. but i can fill in from several points of view. i've been a patient far more than i'd like, i've been a visitor/the night-shift family member staying with my mom way too many times, especially the last 10 years of her life. and i have been one of those over-worked, over-stressed and completely exhausted hospital nurses, again most often doing night shift. finding a patient who actually took the time to say a few kind words or even just something to distract me for 30 seconds was always a blessing. i bet you are an awesome patient, no matter how bad you feel. ^_^

i love seeing your dad's work. it's really intriguing to just sit and gaze at the things you put up. i'm frequently surprised by what i find. thanks so much for showing his work off. what a great subject for spamming. <3

ooh, toshi has become a bad word at our house. who knew that that critter was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg? in some ways i was better off WITH the not so wee monster. >:(

"hospital lag"? oh most definitely. and the longer the stay, the worse it is after. it's like you are suddenly left "bared to the soul", because you have no privacy in the hospital, you have to expose not just your body sometimes to complete strangers constantly. you undergo humiliations many times daily that one would never tolerate in any other setting. so you feel hyper-sensitive when you first get out and have this inhuman urge to throw up walls as hard and fast as you can. being that open in the real world is not just unpleasant and uncomfortable, it can be a bit dangerous in some situations.

it takes me several weeks to months before i feel half-way normal again. which is why i fight so hard to NOT get into that situation anymore. i'd actually rather suffer at home than go back "under the knife" even if it takes all i've got to deal with it. sounds a bit crazy, but after having Crohn's and its wee partners alone for 34 years now i'm tired of what the medical profession cannot do for me. 8(

maybe we should pool our knowledge with a few other survivors around into a guide on how to stay sane(ish) battling long-term ailments and hospital fatigue? the only thing i may have more of is years of duration. certainly not severity levels. you, my dear, may take the prize there. i'm just glad that you have the spirit to beat it down time and time again. *a southern style hug and kiss on the cheek* you know you're on my list of folks to send good thoughts/prayers/vibes/etc to on a regular basis. <3<3